Gail Novenario
Gail Novenario was a contestant on Season 8 of Hell's Kitchen. She ranked in 5th place. Personality Gail was a very calm and friendly chef, and was undoubtedly the most sane woman on the red team. In the kitchen, she started off as one of the strongest links within the red team, but went on a very quick downward spiral that she never managed to recover from, which led to her elimination. She generally got along with everyone, and developed friendships with Nona and Melissa. Season 8 Episode 1 When Gail arrived at Hell's Kitchen, she wondered where Ramsay and Jean-Philippe were as the doors to the restaurant were locked. After James introduced himself, all the chefs put blindfolds on, and were taken to the prize restaurant, the LA Market, in Los Angeles. Then, they returned to Hell's Kitchen, and were asked to cook their signature dishes. During the Signature Dish Challenge, Gail was the fifth person from the red team to have her dish judged by Ramsay, and went up against Trev. It was unknown what she made, but Ramsay told her that she burned the potatoes. Neither her or Trev scored a point. The red team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 3, and they were punished by cleaning up both kitchens ahead of the opening night. During dinner service, Gail was on the garnish station. At one point, she tried to convince Sabrina not to send her Wellingtons as they were still waiting on the halibut and tagliatelle, without success. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. Gail was not nominated for elimination, and during Sabrina's plea, she whispered to Nona that what she said against the latter was a low blow. Episode 2 During the Sushi Challenge, Gail was paired with Melissa. They had the worst overall performance as not only were they missing one salmon roll, but the rolls were cut poorly, and the tuna was improperly sliced. They did not score any points, and the red team lost the challenge 15-16. They were punished by prepping sushi for the next service, and eating a squid lunch. She was upset about her poor performance, but Jillian managed to calm her down. While the rest of the team was disgusted by their squid dinner, she happily ate it as she was used to eating food like that, but was insulted by Sabrina's lack of contribution during the punishment and got sick of her attitude. During dinner service, Gail was on the appetizer station. She got her first orders accepted by Ramsay, allowing her team to start off strong. Later, she was seen telling Emily to turn her convection oven higher due to Emily serving raw meat. The red team eventually won the service. Episode 3 During the Paramedic Service Challenge, Gail was not seen much, but the red team won the challenge. They were rewarded with a trip to Santa Monica where they had lunch at the Viceroy Hotel, along with trapeze lessons. During dinner service, Gail was on the meat station. At one point, she looked distracted and did not pay attention to one of her ribeye steaks catching fire, much to Nona’s annoyance. Ramsay took the flaming pan into the sink, and accused her of giving up, but she managed to redeem herself with a perfectly cooked beef. The red team lost the service as they received a 50% approval rating from their customers, compared to the blue team's 54%. She was not nominated for elimination. Episode 4 Back in the dorms, Gail and Melissa agreed not to let anything get too dirty for the red team. Before the Ravioli Challenge, Ramsay asked the chefs to refrain from smoking for the next 48 hours. Before judging, she asked if she could move down to the last ranking as she was not confident about her dish. Ramsay reluctantly agreed to it, and he was surprised that an executive chef like her was not confident like that. She was the last person from the red team to compete, and went up against Trev. She made a braised short rib ravioli with sun-dried tomato paste, and while Ramsay said that the dish tasted nice, she lost the round to Trev as it was under seasoned. The red team lost the challenge 3-4, and they were punished by prepping both kitchens, and make pasta and mozzarella cheese from scratch for the next service. After the punishment, she and Trev talked about how the latter was not feeling welcomed in the blue team. Then, Trev jokingly asked if they could make out, but she refused. Before service began, Gail sheepishly admitted that she smoked a cigarette the previous night. During the Italian Night dinner service, she was on the pasta station. She tried to communicate with Sabrina, but got confused by her inconsistent timing. Then, Sabrina decided to make her look bad by sending her pork, despite the pasta not being ready. That forced her to send the pasta, but it was raw and crunchy, leading Ramsay berating her for her comical performance despite her experience. After the red team finished their tickets before the blue team, Ramsay asked them to go in the blue kitchen and help the men. However, both teams got confused on orders, which led to Ramsay to kick both teams out of the kitchen. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each for elimination. During deliberation, Gail was considered by Sabrina and Jillian, but Nona disagreed with them, and told her that she wanted Sabrina gone. At elimination, Gail was called by Nona as the second nominee, but it was quickly retracted to Sabrina. Therefore, she was not nominated for elimination. Episode 5 Back in the dorms, Gail, along with Emily, Melissa, and Nona, expressed surprise that Sabrina was still around despite being worthless to the red team, and for her poor attitude. During the Prom Planning Challenge, Gail was not seen much, but the red team won the challenge 3-0. They were rewarded with a day at Knott's Berry Farm. During the Prom Night dinner service, Gail was on the garnish station. She was seen helping Emily as the latter was struggling on crab cakes, and got her refire accepted. At one point, she sent some purple goop that Ramsay compared to both Barbie's vomit and purple snot. When she took the blame, Ramsay urged her to get a grip. The red team lost the service, and Sabrina was named "Best of the Worst". Gail was not nominated for elimination despite Jillian, Rob, and Russell trying to convince Sabrina she should. Episode 6 Before the next challenge, the red team said goodbye to Melissa, who was transferred to the blue team, and said hello to Trev as a new teammate. During the Salad Challenge, Gail was the first person from the red team to compete, and went up against Boris. Her five spiced scallop salad with radicchio and romaine and a rice wine vinaigrette got praised for its beautiful presentation and for perfectly cooked scallops, and she won the round over Boris. Despite that, the red team lost the challenge after a tiebreaker at 2, and they were punished by prepping both kitchens for the next service, and eating a flower salad. During the punishment, she tried to reassure an upset Trev that they tried without avail. During dinner service, Gail was on the appetizer station. Her first attempt at the lobster spaghetti came out perfectly, and Ramsay urged her to keep that consistency. Both teams were named joint-losers, and they were asked to nominate two people each. She was not nominated for elimination. Episode 7 Before heading upstairs, Gail told Sabrina that her major problem was her poor attitude, a fact that the rest of the team agreed with. During the Roulette Challenge, Gail landed on F, and chose fennel. She was not seen much during the cooking, but the red team won the challenge, and they were rewarded with a trip to The Rio, in Las Vegas, for an overnight visit, as well as meeting Penn and Teller. During the Family Night dinner service, Gail was on the fish station. She was not seen much, but had to break an argument between Sabrina and Trev. Both teams were named joint-winners after they received a 90% approval rating, but they were still asked to nominate two people each. She was not nominated for elimination. Episode 8 Back in the dorms, Gail was told by Jillian that there was no way Sabrina could win Hell's Kitchen. During the Budget Challenge, Gail was paired with Jillian on the pork round, and she presented the dish against Boris. Their pan-seared pork tenderloin with roasted beets and shallots was praised for its beets, but the pork was bland, and she scored an average of $28. The red team won the challenge $110-$101, and they were rewarded with a sail boat trip, eating a waterfront dinner at the Maya hotel, and receiving salsa lessons. During dinner service, Gail was on the meat station. She approved Nona's suggestion of using a recycled risotto for their next order, but Ramsay rejected it. Despite that, she sent perfect Wellingtons, and the red team won the service. Episode 9 After Boris left, Gail said goodbye to Trev, who was transferred back to the blue team. During the Blind Taste Test, Gail was the first person from the red team to compete, and went up against Russell. She only identified grapefruit correctly, but the red team won the challenge 6-5. They were rewarded with a $2000 shopping spree to purchase any clothes at a local boutique, and eating lunch with Ramsay at Michael Mina’s XIV. During dinner service, Gail was on the garnish station. She was not seen much as she did not make any mistakes. The red team won the service, and back in the dorms, she comforted Nona, who was upset about her poor performance. Episode 10 During the Relay Challenge, Gail was the fourth person from the red team to compete, but was not seen working hard as she wasted a lot of time looking for a ladle, and did not put the salmon on. The red team lost the challenge 1-2, and they were punished by participating in Delivery Day, and cleaning both kitchens. During the punishment, she was seen cleaning the salmon Jillian dropped on the ground. For their next service, both teams were given the opportunity to create their own menus. During dinner service, Gail was on the fish station. When she brought her lobster cappellini, the lobster was raw, and her multiple attempts afterwards were either raw or overcooked. Later, she brought another attempt, but the pasta was raw, and Ramsay forced the red team to taste it. Also, the lobster was rubbery, and after ranting how she sent both raw and undercooked lobster, a fed up Ramsay kicked her out of the kitchen, and she was disappointed that she let both Ramsay and her team down due to her poor performance. Both teams were named joint-losers, and everybody were asked to nominate who they personally thought were not deserving a black jacket. Despite her poor performance, Gail did not receive any votes, while she nominated Trev. However, she was called down with Vinny, and Ramsay told her to take off her jacket, but gave her the last black jacket, therefore surviving elimination. Episode 11 During the Amuse Bouche Challenge, Gail decided to use her Asian background for her dish. She was the first person to present her dish, which was sesame spring chicken roll with peanut sauce. The dish was praised for looking good, and she received 44 points for presentation. It was also praised for tasting delicious, receiving a score of 43 for taste, ending with 87 points overall. She lost the challenge to Russell, but was chosen to go with him on the reward. They were rewarded with a VIP tour of the LA Market by Kerry Martin, and a lunch with him and Ramsay. During the tour, she was inspired by the dining room and the state of the art kitchen. During dinner service, Gail was on the fish station. Her first order of scallops was rejected for having no color, and she was forced to restart. When she brought her halibut to the pass, it was still stuck to the pan as an angry Ramsay slammed the pan onto the counter and almost got hit by a pair of flying tongs, and she felt disappointed while saying that they did not deserve to wear black jackets. While she got one order of salmon accepted, her next attempt was rejected for having a lot of water on the bottom that Ramsay poured out, and he accused her of giving up. Gail was not nominated for elimination despite Trev, Sabrina, and Jillian believing that she should have been. After Sabrina left, Ramsay warned her to wake up. Episode 12 While going back to the dorms, Gail was not happy that Sabrina threw her under the bus during her plea, and knew that she had to show Ramsay what she had left. Then, Trev told her that the two of them were in Ramsay’s sight, that there was no more room for error, and she was not happy that Ramsay was disappointed in her poor performance. During the 80 Portions Food Truck Challenge, Gail made a grilled skirt steak salad with mangoes and candied pecans, while expressing determination to win the challenge after her poor performance. She won the challenge as 41% of the customers felt her dish was the best. She was rewarded with a makeover from José Eber's studio in Beverly Hills, and a trip back to Hollywood for a new style look by Steve "Cojo" Cojocaru. When she came back from her reward, she stunned everybody with her new look, though she had to politely tell Trev to stop starring at her. During prep, Gail knew that she had not been on top of her game lately, and had to do well or else she would be going home. During dinner service, she was on the garnish station. She did not answer Trev and Jillian's questions for times as she did not have her garnishes ready, much to Ramsay's frustration. Then, she sent cold fries. After Ramsay returned from his brief departure from the restaurant, she was relocated to the fish station. However, when she brought a raw salmon to the pass, she was kicked out, and she was disappointed by the fact that she could not bounce back. After dinner service, Ramsay told her that she should be a short order cook as she could not cook more than one table at a time, and suggested opening up a restaurant in her living room. Gail was the first nominee for elimination, with Trev being the second. She was eliminated for her declining performances in the past three services, with Ramsay even stating that he thought that she would rank much higher in the competition. She received a retrospective montage of her run during her exit interview. Ramsay's comment: "Gail's performance in Hell's Kitchen was up and down, up and down, and up and down. Roller coasters are great for amusement parks, not kitchens." Episode 15 When she came back for the final dinner service, Gail was Nona's first pick, which excited her as she was ready to kick Russell’s ass. She was followed by Melissa, Trev and Boris. During dinner service, Gail was on the garnish station. She was not seen at all as she did not make any mistakes. Nona eventually won the finals over Russell. Nomination history Trivia *She is the second contestant originating from the Philippines, following Louross (Season 4). *She is the eighth contestant to be picked as a guest for a prize during the black jackets, following Michael (Season 1), Virginia (Season 2), Jen (Season 3), Corey (Season 4), Robert (Season 5), Jay and Holli (both from Season 7). She is also the second contestant in this bunch who did not make it to the semi-finals. *After her appearance on the show, she worked at the Rural Society in Washington D.C. Quotes *"You'd think I'd be able to know how to make sushi, but I can't. I'm not Japanese." *"I'm Filipino, we eat everything. In my country we eat some of this shit, and we fucking like it." *"The blue team should get used to getting their asses kicked. They're like little dominoes and the red team's gonna knock each one of them out, ahahahahahaha." *"I won the challenge, yay! me!" *"I'll vote for myself. He tells me you should be a Short Order cook in your living room." *(After being eliminated) "I wish I could have stayed longer, but my time is up. I thought I was a strong cook when I got into Hell's Kitchen, but now after leaving Hell's Kitchen, I think I realized that I had a few things to work on. I did disappoint myself, but there is so many highlights. Winning the challenges and getting to go to the rewards, they totally outweigh all the low lights. I leave here with great memories, new friends, fantastic clothes... and a great haircut." External Links * Category:Chef Category:Season 8 Category:New Yorkers Category:Black Jacket Category:Final Service Brigade Category:5th Place